tallchick

I quilt and long arm with batiks as well and have never had a issue with them, I prefer batiks over quilting cottons because they are so much easier to work with and I just loveeeeee batiks!

NJ Quilter

I don't really remember having a particularly hard time hand quilting through batiks. I use them often. I also use W&N batting which everyone says is a bear to needle through. I don't seem to have a problem - or I just don't know any better, lol. For hand quilting I use Roxanne betweens - usually a size 11.

WendyMcD

Can you point me in the right direction? I searched but can't see microgrooves. What brand and size do you recommend for hand applique?

WendyMcD

When I wrote the first post I was a mess due to ailments and forgot my major beef with batiks. The problem I have with batiks is they do not wear well at all. I've got 10-20 year old quilts which are well used/loved and the batiks are the ones I have to replace, constantly. The cottons, only the cheaper stuff has needed to be replaced or some places where they were hooked upon something and tore. Cheaper stuff came in from the beginning as we were really poor when I started now we are ok, not good, but ok-hey I can still buy fabric even if I have to melt that card at times. Anway, most of the good cotton wears really well. So I determined only to use batiks in wall hangings but this SBQ is really screaming at me black and rainbow of hand paints and batiks are the only way to go. I had my infusion yesterday and doc ordered pre-meds, now I can't wait for the house to wake up so I can get to dyeing my fabric.

A friend and I are doing the Piecemakers calendar 2000 quilt. I put batiks into it and will try to put a few more in and see if my needle turn doesn't like me better. I do know that the crease things so real as is the fraying thing. The difference in my piecing changes between the two fabrics.

Thank you all for your aid. I wrote to my LA and will see what she's got to say. I asked her for the machine name and what needles/thread does she use. Perhaps she will love batiks too.

Marich52

I don't have a fancy or high powered mid-arm and do have trouble with skipped stitches on batiks, especially with seams. I switched to a jeans needle and it has helped.

WendyMcD

Thanks one and all. Seems my LA has a problem with the sts skipping. She's going to try a denim needle if she has a break on my quilt that has a bit of batik's in it. And me, personally, I'm headed over the edge into batiks. My hand dyed came out smashing! And I got my SBQ book in. And I signed up for a swap that's all batiks, now I can't wait to play.

HiDesertQuilter

I have a Pfaff Powerquilter 16.0 which is a midarm sit-down quilter. I had been fighting a batik quilt, having skipped stitches and breakage of the thread, while using 40wt cotton thread and a size 16 needle. I am now using a size 18 needle and she is quilting like butter. Batiks are a tighter weave, have wax residue and some dirt on them even tho you cannot see it. The size 18 gives the thread more room to glide thru the fabric. Hope this helps someone! I was about ready to pull my hair out!